Zaire
Zaire "I never had a mother growing up. I had a dictator who made me worry whether or not I would eat that week. That's why I want to be better than her when ''my ''children are here. Though I think a literal twig could be a better mother than Maribelle." -Zaire to Hazel about her childhood Zaire, also known as Pack Rat '''and sometimes '''Maribelle, is a supporting character in Beyond, a main character in Hope, and a background character in Dream. She is a maned wolf and currently lives with Melissa and her daughters in the wilds of Birchwood Springs with the other Ferals. History Zaire was created when Maribelle demanded that she be given a daughter after being experimented on. With help from a Feral named Cairon, the scientists at Sunset Labs created her. Maribelle treated Zaire horridly. The reason for her birth- as she often was reminded- was so that Maribelle could try to transfer her soul into Zaire's body and not have to live with being a monster. Therefore, she found no reason to treat her like a real daughter- if her soul was going to be thrown out eventually, why should she try to keep her happy? When Zaire was around nine years old, Maribelle finally realized her goal was impossible and dumped her off with her "father" Cairon and the Ferals. Young Zaire wasn't quite ready for the rough life that the wilds entailed- she constantly got herself into trouble, and rarely was able to spend time with Cairon due to how busy he was. She grew up hateful and bitter, but strictly refused to enact any sort of "revenge" or take her problems out on anyone else- she didn't want anyone being treated the same way she was. When Zaire grew into a young adult, she met a teenaged hybrid named Hazel, who was running away with her boyfriend Lark. The two of them started to become good friends, and Zaire stayed with her when Lark left town. Hazel confessed that she was pregnant and only went with him because he pressured her into it. Zaire helped her through giving birth to her sons Cherry (who was unfortunately stillborn) and Oakley, and sent her back to her family, knowing she'd be happier there. Shortly after Hazel went back to her family, a leopard named Melissa joined the Ferals- and began to act like she ran the place. Most of the Ferals were disgusted by her attitude, including Cairon, but Zaire thought she was kind and considerate, and trying to help everyone out, albeit extravagant. She tried her best to get to know her- but Cairon held her back. He thought she was bossy and would be too controlling of Zaire. That didn't stop her from admiring her on the side, though, and talking to her whenever her father wasn't around. It didn't take long for her to develop strong feelings for Melissa, but she refused to tell her- she didn't want to ever have to be as vulnerable as when she was a child, and being in a relationship with one of the most widely disliked Ferals would make sure of that. While Zaire was wallowing in her feelings, Hazel approached her and admitted that she was sick of living in Birchwood Springs as a teenaged mother and wanted to run away from everything and become a Feral. Though initially surprised, Zaire agreed to help her leave. When she introduced Hazel to the Ferals, they were all hostile- except, oddly, for Melissa. She started spending a lot of time with Hazel, which made Zaire feel jealous- and feel bad for being ''jealous- of their close relationship. She finally confided in Hazel, admitting her feelings, both her jealousy of their friendship and her love for Melissa. Hazel encouraged her to at least talk to her. When she finally decided to talk to her, she had so much pent-up rage that she accidentally exploded at Melissa, ranting about her upbringing and accidentally admitted her feelings. Melissa was flabbergasted and told her that she felt the same way about her. She was also surprised by Maribelle's treatment of her, and by the fact that she was the first person that Zaire told. They started a romantic relationship, with the approval of Hazel and the annoyance of Cairon. Melissa encouraged her to open up about her past, which she did to Hazel, who was supportive unconditionally. After a while, she found herself pregnant, much to her and Melissa's joy. Cairon was slightly concerned, though, and told Zaire that he wasn't comfortable with her relationships with both Melissa and Hazel. This angered Zaire, and she cut contact with him until he was willing to change his mind. A few months afterward, she gave birth to two daughters, which she and Melissa named Josephine (who was nicknamed JoJo by Hazel) and Anastasia respectively. Zaire was ecstatic- she finally felt like she had people she could call her family other than Cairon and Maribelle. One day, she was approached by Aurelia, Hazel's mother and the current mayor, who asked her and some other Ferals to help her track down Maribelle, to bring her to justice for all the crimes she'd committed. Zaire happily agreed, leaving JoJo and Anastasia with Melissa. She, along with some other Ferals and Citizens, tracked her down and caught her. When they'd finally gotten her, she and Zaire had a conversation- in which Maribelle begged to be let go and insisted she wanted to be with her "husband" and "daughter" again. Zaire finally snapped and, after yelling at her, told Aurelia that she needed to be killed. Zaire, Melissa, and their daughters attended Maribelle's execution, along with all the other Ferals. For once, she didn't feel any remorse toward someone who was killed, since she wholeheartedly believed that Maribelle deserved it. '''Personality' Zaire is snappy and hissy toward anyone that crosses her and is typically rather mysterious. She tends to keep to herself most of the time, and hardly anyone knows what made her so fucking edgy (other than Cairon, Hazel, and Melissa). Don't try to approach her- she'll only want to talk if she approaches you first. While most know her as one of the least fatally violent Ferals around, she won't hesitate to leave a scar, even if it isn't physical, if you aggravate her to a certain point. She can be more emotional towards people she cares enough about, though still finds it hard to express her feelings no matter who she's talking to. Relationships * Maribelle-''' Zaire just despises her. With every fiber of her being. Thatse it. * '''Cairon- '''Zaire hasn't talked to him in months. She couldn't care less how he's doing. * '''Melissa- '''listen im tired of writing sappy relationships so theyre gay ok * '''Hazel- '''Zaire and Hazel are close friends and talk often. * '''Anastasia- '''Zaire loves her daughter. * '''JoJo- '''Zaire loves this one too * '''Willow- '''Zaire's indifferent to him. She puts up with him when he visits Hazel, though. * '''Hopper- '''Again, she's indifferent. * '''Aurelia- '''Zaire doesn't like any of the government officials, but Aurelia planned Maribelle's execution and is Hazel's mother, so she doesn't hate her as much as some of the other ones. * '''Asha- '''Zaire thinks they're pretty chill for a mayor. She has a little bit of respect for them due to the fact that they're trying to break the divide between Ferals and Citizens (along with Melissa), and that they're Hazel's parent. '''Trivia * dont ask me how she got pregnant ok * She has crippling aquaphobia, ombrophobia, and astraphobia, to the point where she has a panic attack every time it rains/storms. * She highly dislikes bright sunlight and winter due to how hard it is to stay comfortable in the wilds during those times. * Despite the fact that she doesn't really like or trust the Citizens, she will sometimes take care of their rodent problems if they offer her chocolate milk. This is because she really really really likes chocolate milk (but would never admit it). * The bandana around her neck is the only thing she has left from her childhood. It has her name on the inside, and she holds onto it as a reminder of what she used to have. * The long scar on her side came from the first day she joined the Ferals when she accidentally walked straight into a fight for food. * Her favorite colors are black and green.